How can we follow Jesus out of joyful obedience rather than dutiful obligation? Brian Delamont, Executive Vice President of TeachBeyond, returns to the podcast to unpack how we can follow Jesus out of joyful obedience, rather than dutiful obligation. As our hearts are aligned to His and our mindset is transformed, we can live in victory and love.

• “Obedience always involves two aspects: what is being obeyed or followed, and the person carrying out the action of response.”
• “Obedience, like everything else God has given us to understand who He is and to understand how he loves us, has been twisted and broken by the fall. God initially set this in place out of love, knowing this was for our very best, that we would follow His lead, that we would follow His instructions.”
• 1 Samuel 15:19-22
• “He requires more than external compliance. He’s not about the sacrifice; He’s about our heart’s devotion to Him.”
• “Trust and obedience [...] are deeply connected to walking with Jesus. In order to walk with Him, I have to trust where He is going and to follow Him there.”
• “Obedience means that we listen to what Jesus has to say, and then we do what He tells us to do.”
• John 14:12-18
• Matthew 21:28-32
• “Don’t just say the right thing; do the right thing. If you love Me, you will keep My commands.”
• “He’s just longing for us to do the things that He knows will lead to life, not death.”
• A Long Obedience in the Same Direction by Eugene Peterson
• James 1:22-25
• “How can obedience lead us to victory rather than duty?”
• 2 Corinthians 10:4-6
• “Obedience doesn’t begin with the externals [...] obedience begins with our minds being transformed.”
• Matthew 15:18-20
• “Love for [Jesus] is what motivates our obedience.”

April Reflection: Where are you most challenged to obey? What would it look like to have victory in this area of your life?

What’s changing our lives from our Africa Regional Conference:

• Keane: Meeting people in person
• Heather: Praying together with people in person
• Brian: The obedience of our team members in Africa

Weekly Spotlight: Evangelical Christian Academy

We’d love to hear from you! [email protected] Podcast Website: https://teachbeyond.org/podcast  Learn about TeachBeyond: https://teachbeyond.org/